To the joy of its fans, and the chagrin of some (much?) of the D1 volleyball world, Penn State (36-3) ended the Cinderella saga of unseeded BYU (30-5) with a straight set win (25-21, 26-24, 25-14) last night in the Final of the 2014 NCAA D1 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.  It was the seventh NCAA women’s volleyball championship for the Nittany Lions (more than any other D1 program), and their sixth in the last eight years.

6-2 Jr. OH (and Tournament Most Outstanding Player) Megan Courtney totaled 11 kills (with 14 digs), as did 6-4 RS Jr. Opp/RS Aiyana Whitney.  6-2 Sr. MH Nia Grant registered 9 kills and 4 blocks, and 6-1 Fr. OH Ali Frantti finished with 6 kills and 6 blocks.  5-6 Sr/ libero Dominique Gonzalez once again was rock-steady for the Nittany Lions, leading all players with 16 digs.  5-6 Sr. DS Lacey Fuller (who we believe is the only player in Penn State women’s volleyball history for whom the Pep Band created a special cheer) added 6 digs.

Along with Courtney, 5-11 Sr. setter (and AVCA DI Player of the Year!)  Micha Hancock and Ali Frantti were named to the All-Tournament team.

This win deserves more discussion, and we’ll have more next week in January 2015 (we are hopelessly slow).  For now, below are video’s of the post-match press conference, the team celebration, and the box score.

Match Stats (Courtesy of GoPSUsports.com)